The leader of the Socialist Party parliamentary group, Eurico Brilhante Dias, stated on Tuesday that the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, is a “dead weight” in the government and “is not part of the solution,” as she “has not found solutions” for the current issues in the health sector in Portugal.
In an interview with SIC Notícias, Eurico Brilhante Dias began by referring to the case of a pregnant woman who gave birth in the street in Carregado as “a very serious case,” emphasizing that “it’s just one more.” He recalled other incidents that have occurred recently, such as the strike by emergency medical technicians or issues with “aerial resources.”
“For the Socialist Party, it is necessary to state clearly today, and that is what I would like to make clear: The Minister of Health is a dead weight in this government today. The minister, with due respect, is not part of the solution, has not found solutions,” he remarked.
He further noted that Minister Ana Paula Martins had stated she would devote “70% of her time to the emergency medical services,” pointing out that pregnant women “go from maternity to maternity without knowing where they will have their baby.”
“This pregnant woman [from Carregado] asked to go to the Alfredo da Costa maternity because, amid the confusion of emergency closures, she did not know where to go and was afraid. Unfortunately, her fear ended up becoming reality – she had her child in the street helped by her parents,” he highlighted.
The Socialist Party’s parliamentary leader pointed out that “the Prime Minister would have had the obligation to tell the Minister of Health what future she would have, what was his understanding.” “But today, it needs to be clearly stated that the minister has responsibilities.”
“When the minister considers that she is no longer part of the solution, she herself should also take the initiative. The responsibility of the government lies with the Prime Minister, it is he who must be held accountable,” he stated.
Eurico Brilhante Dias also stressed that the government “took office saying that it would present an emergency plan in 60 days,” noting that “we are already with three executive directors of the National Health Service (SNS), three presidents of the emergency medical services, absolute confusion in aerial assistance resources, opaqueness in the numbers.”
“We have had governance in the health area that is a continuous disruption for the Portuguese,” he pointed out.
Asked what it means to call the minister a “dead weight,” the socialist stressed that “he considers that the minister no longer has the political conditions to be effective in her ministerial role.”
“The Socialist Party is always very careful when presenting a request for the resignation of a ministerial office holder. The first and last responsibility for the constitution of the government lies with the Prime Minister. It is to him that the question must be asked now. The evaluation of the Socialist Party is that the minister does not contribute today, nor is capable of contributing, to solving any problem identified in the SNS,” he noted.
Questioned whether it would be premature to call for the minister’s dismissal, he replied: “This case is just another one and has another pattern. This pattern is recurring with the minister. Each time there is a problem, the minister does not assume responsibilities and refers to the Health Activities General Inspection (IGAS).”
“This is not the first case. If this were the first case, I would say ‘of course, we would wait.’ But this is the ‘nth’ case. It is authentically the case that demonstrates not only that SNS 24 is not working, that pregnant women are in a situation of great fragility and distrust of the system […] and this is not resolved with IGAS, it is resolved with concrete political action.”
Brilhante Dias reiterated that the Minister of Health “does not have the conditions to hold a position that requires the confidence of the entire government, society as a whole, and in particular, the users of the SNS.”
“For the Socialist Party, the minister is a dead weight, and the question of continuity in the government must be put to the Prime Minister,” he asserted.
Regarding whether the problems would be solved by changing who manages the ministry, Brilhante Dias stated “no,” “but it is also solved by ensuring that the person in charge has the objective conditions to resolve the problems.”
“The minister has exhausted all the opportunities she had to solve the problems. The minister is a dead weight because she does not have the political conditions today to continue in the role and resolve the problems that need to be addressed,” he observed.
Recall the case
A 28-year-old woman gave birth on Monday in the public street in Carregado, with the help of her parents. When she began to feel contractions, the family called the Health 24 line, but they were advised to go to the hospital by car, despite her being a high-risk patient.
Then, the pregnant woman’s parents tried to call 112, which took time to answer. When they finally spoke to a technician, he spoke in English.
The woman ended up giving birth on the sidewalk, with the help of her parents. Shortly afterward, a nurse and a doctor who lived nearby came to the scene.
The pregnant woman was a high-risk patient, having only one kidney. Despite this, when she began to feel contractions and the family called the Health 24 line, instead of sending an ambulance, they asked her to go by car.
Tomásia Sousa | 13:05 – 12/08/2025
It is worth noting that on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health’s Shared Services (SPMS) admitted there was a “human error” by the SNS 24 line “in applying the triage algorithm and directing” the pregnant woman.
The Ministry of Health’s Shared Services (SPMS) admitted in a statement that there was “human error” by the SNS 24 line in the case of the pregnant woman who gave birth in the street in Carregado on Monday. The call was answered in 17 seconds, but the triage was poorly done.
Maria Gouveia | 18:36 – 12/08/2025
